After their defeat at Massy, Cavigal once again fell short against an even tougher opponent, Grand Nancy. An away loss (34-32) conceded in the very last moments of the match.
Once again, Cavigal Nice Handball missed the opportunity to redeem themselves from their stinging defeat at Massy (28-25). The team from Nice traveled to the Grand Est to face a formidable Nancy team that has only suffered one defeat in their last eight games. Despite the determination of the team from Nice, they were unable to outsmart the gameplay of Benjamin Braux’s Nancy side. Everything had started so well for Asier Antonio and his men.
Gudjonsson in action
Barely two minutes into the game, Gretar Gudjonsson (Nice) already made two saves. The Nice goalkeeper single-handedly cast doubt on the Nancy players. The hosts struggled to score, and the team from the Côte d’Azur quickly took the lead (0-2; 0-4). Nancy was not in the game at first but gradually started to register goals, albeit with a delay (3-6; 7-8; 9-11). The Lorrains eventually woke up from their poor start, but Nice remained ahead on the scoreboard (12-14; 14-15).
The team from Nice then committed some handling errors. Numerous turnovers allowed Grand Nancy to equalize before halftime through a goal from Elvar Asgeirsson (16-16).
Nice and Nancy remain deadlocked
The second half had a déjà-vu feeling, similar to another penalty save by Gretar Gudjonsson (Nice) off a shot by Marius Randriantseheno (Nancy). To contain the Nice offenses, the Nancy players ramped up their defensive efforts. This strategy seemed to work, but Nice maintained their lead in the score (17-20; 20-22) until the 45th minute when Théo Muller (Nancy) enabled the hosts to lead for the first time in the game (25-24).
The situation worsened for Nice with Sébastien Rossi’s disqualification for a deliberate stepping foul. A red card for the Cavigal player meant he couldn’t return to the field. The end of the match became tense, with the score swinging from one team to the other (26-25; 27-28) with goals from Pierre Marche (Nancy – seven goals) and Axel Oppedisano (Nice – ten goals).
Cruel end for Nice
At 30-30, only five minutes remained to clinch the victory, but Nice’s luck turned. Axel Oppedisano, impeccable until then, missed his only penalty of the game against Kristijan Jurisic (Nancy). This mistake allowed Nancy to hold onto a slim lead (33-32).
Outnumbered, the team from the south could not find a way to snatch a draw. Following the penalty miss, Yann Ducreux (Nancy) shattered Nice’s hopes with one final goal (34-32). A cruel end for the red and blacks, who had dominated the early phases of the match.
Asier Antonio’s men lost 34-32 and are more than ever in the race for the playoffs. Currently 7th in the Proligue standings, Cavigal Nice Handball’s future remains uncertain.
